


Caretaker

by Spectral_Cat



Category: Preacher
Genre: Alcohol, Hurt/Comfort, I have a lot of feelings, Light Angst, M/M, My First Fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7209509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spectral_Cat/pseuds/Spectral_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the night that Jesse Custer's life changed forever, Cassidy was there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caretaker

Proinsias Cassidy was not a lucky man. 

Sure, some would think being immortal, strong as hell, and having every sense heightened to near superhuman level was lucky. Cassidy would agree that all those had their perks. But being attacked by a plane full of crazed vampire-hunting religious fanatics, having to jump from said plane, and crashing into East Bumblefuck, Texas with nothing to sustain you but cow blood would put a damper on anyone's day. 

And to top it all off, he had managed to go and get himself arrested. 

Cassidy had company this time, at least. He had found himself in all sorts of dungeons and prisons and the like during his 119 years on good-old planet Earth. It came with the territory when he led the kind of life that he did. But out of all the unlucky shit that had happened to him that day, Cassidy thought that being stuck in a jail cell with one Jesse Custer might just all be worth it. The companionship the preacher had offered had been the brightest part of his day. And when he shook his hand went on his merry way, the loneliness that Cassidy hadn't realized was even there came back with a vengeance. 

Cassidy could feel the eyes of the leftover officer on him. If he had learned anything from American television and movies, it was that people in small towns didn't take too kindly to strangers. He resisted pacing in his cell like a caged animal, but couldn't help bouncing his leg up and down if out of nothing else but impatience. After some time, he glanced up to see that the eyes that had been watching him so closely not long before had fallen closed. The officer was slumped with his head on his chest, a stream of drool glistening on his double chin. 

"Ye about ready to let me go, then?" Cassidy barked, prompting a jolt from the sleeping policeman. 

He blinked tiredly at Cassidy. "What you want, boy?" he asked, looking at Cassidy like he had crawled out of the cow shit that littered the town. 

"Listen, it's late, ye got no reason to hold me here any longer, and nothin' to charge me with, really." The man blinked at him once more, then shook his head. 

"Unless you got money for bail, you're spendin' the night here, son." Cassidy frowned at this, but his face brightened as an idea popped into his head. 

I'll do ye one better," he said, producing a small, clear bottle from his pocket and brandishing it like it was the Holy Grail itself. "Ye Texans like yer whiskey, right? This stuff's better than all the booze ye got in this damn state put together. It's yer's if ye let me go." 

The guard eyed him suspiciously. "Why should I trust some lousy Irish bastard like you?" 

"Ye really wanna pass up an opportunity like this?" Cassidy replied, shaking the bottle once more. 

Narrowing his eyes, the officer managed to lift himself off his fat ass enough to shamble over the the cell and swipe the bottle from the hand Cassidy was now sticking through the bars. "I'm testin' this shit before making any promises." he said, taking a small swig before promptly falling flat on the ground, out cold. Cassidy chuckled to himself as he reached through the bars once more to pluck the keys from the guard's belt and liberate himself. The poor bastard probably thought taking that small a sip would have saved him from a pounding headache with a side of embarrassment in the morning. No such luck. 

Cassidy hoped to god all Americans weren't that stupid as he strolled out into the night. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night was unbelievably warm, and Cassidy found himself missing the air conditioning of the prison as he walked down a dirt that seemed to lead nowhere. Not that it mattered. Where was he going, anyway? He was thousands of miles from home with no money and no friends. Now THAT sounded like the first line of the worst country song he'd ever heard. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that the sun would be up in a few hours, and if he didn't find some shelter soon, he would most likely be joining the roadkill that littered the side of the road, his body black and crispy like the BBQ these rednecks seemed to love so much. 

However, as he neared the top of a hill, Cassidy was reminded that he did know as least one person in this desolate place. The steeple of a church rose on the horizon, and Cassidy figured if the good father was home, he wouldn't mind letting the man who had his back in a bar fight at least stay for one day. And if no one was home, well....then there was no one there to stop him, now was there? 

By the time Cassidy made it to the church doors, he could tell something was off. The air tingled with something he couldn't describe, and the door swung open and slammed shut sporadically. It reminded Cassidy of those old horror movies, the ones where you would scream at the person on screen not to go in there. Cassidy figured he was the actor in this situation, but he was never one to run from a fight. 

"Yoo-hoo, Padre?" Cassidy called as he slipped through the door and closed it behind him, effectively putting an end to the insistent banging. What he was met with was nothing short of disastrous, and a quiet "shite" escaped his lips as he looked around. The pews were strewn all over the place, as if someone had pushed them out of the way on some mission from hell. Despite the chaos that met his eyes, Cassidy's ears picked up something stronger; a heartbeat. Pushing though the sea of wooden furniture to the front of the church, his eyes fell upon the one and only Jesse Custer, albeit a more, well.....unconscious version of him. Too much booze yet again, perhaps? Having witnessed Jesse's earlier behavior, he wouldn't have been surprised. 

Cassidy knew an opportunity when he saw one, and a thousand thoughts raced through his head with this particular one. Sure, he could feed on the preacher. His own supply of human blood had been smashed to bits when he fell from the plane, and animal blood was hardly as satisfying as that of a human. And wouldn't it just be dandy to give a metaphorical middle finger to those nut jobs following him? Feeding from one of their own in a place of God, a sacrificial lamb spread on a literal alter, ready for the taking. Cassidy looked up from Jesse to the crucified Jesus hanging on the wall above him, as if the Lord himself might actually bear witness to his possible act of blasphemy. Cassidy almost thought this could be one of those "tests of temptation" preachers like Jesse ranted about every Sunday, if he believed in stuff like that.

It was not this thought that stopped Cassidy, but something else. That same change in the air had followed him into the church, and seemed to surround him like the whispers of a million forgotten thoughts. It only grew stronger as he leaned down to Jesse and breathed in his wonderful scent, the essence of whiskey and cigarette smoke and cheap cologne mixing with the air to form an intoxicating aroma. In that instant, Cassidy knew he couldn't bear to bite into that beautiful neck, to take something so wonderful and awe-inspiring and powerful from this world. Instead, he bent down and whispered "Padre?" once more, his voice shakier than he would have liked. With still no response, Cassidy assessed the unconscious preacher, making sure he had no injuries that could have caused his condition. Turning Jesse over gently and laying a hand on his back, he sensed no external blood flow throughout his body. 

With that, Cassidy effortlessly lifted Jesse into his arms, minding his own strength and allowing Jesse's head to loll onto his shoulder. It was only then that he noticed how HOT Jesse was, and Cassidy wondered if this sudden illness was what caused this whole mess. Whatever the reason, he knew he needed to get Jesse somewhere safe. 

It didn't take him long to find Jesse's room, which was as small and modest as Cassidy imagined it would be. Laying Jesse gently on the bed, Cassidy began the process of undressing him. He never thought 'undressing a priest' would be added to the lengthy list of things he had done in his long life, but there was a first time for everything, wasn't there? He stripped off Jesse's shirt, collar and all, and then pants, blushing slightly all the while. He figured the boxers and t-shirt Jesse wore underneath would be appropriate sleeping attire for someone running a high fever. Not that he minded the view, either, but Cassidy pushed that thought away to deal with another day. 

Jesse shivered slightly then, prompting Cassidy to quickly tuck the sheets around him. As someone who hadn't been sick in almost a century, he had forgotten the multiple symptoms that came with such an illness. Making sure Jesse was comfortable, he made his way to the kitchen in search for an ice pack. He had just found one when a small moan drifted from the bedroom. Fuck, he should have never left Jesse alone. 

"No....." Jesse breathed as Cassidy entered the room, his brow knit and face sweaty. Cassidy was at his side in an instant. 

"Hey there, Padre, it's alright. Yer okay, yer safe. It's just a bad dream, aye?" Cassidy whispered, laying his hand on the side of Jesse's face. He seemed to grow calm at this, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning his face into Cassidy's touch, his ice cold skin a welcome reprieve from the heat of the fever. 

Something in Cassidy shifted then. It was uncommon for people to seek comfort in him rather than draw away, and the feeling was strange but pleasant. Relishing it just a little bit longer, he eventually replaced his hand with the ice pack, with only slight protest from Jesse. He knew in his gut he couldn't leave him alone, but Cassidy didn't know who to turn to. Returning to the kitchen and rifling through the junk drawer, Cassidy came upon a book labeled "Contacts". Turning to the first page, his eyes fell upon the name "Emily Woodrow- Church Assistant" written in large black ink. Although he knew humans didn't share his sleeping habits, Cassidy knew that he couldn't be the only person in this god forsaken town that gave a damn about Jesse Custer, and his assistant was bound to be one of those people. Picking up the phone, he dialed the number and waited with bated breath. 

Someone picked up on he fifth ring. 

"Jesse...?" a tired voice asked. Cassidy swallowed. He realized he hadn't thought this far. She was expecting Jesse, and here he was, a complete stranger calling her up in the middle of the night. He knew it would raise suspicion if he didn't convince her of the current situation. 

"Ah, no miss. See, Reverend Custer's taken a bit of a spill, and well...I found yer name in his contacts, and I was wonderin' if maybe ye could come over in the mornin' and check up on him? Ye don't know me, but I promise ye he's in good hands. It's just that I'm 'fraid to leave him alone, and I need to get on me way soon." 

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "Who are you, exactly?" she asked eventually. 

Cassidy fumbled over his own damn name. "Name's....... um, Cassidy, m'am. I'm....kinda new 'round here. Reverend Custer met me just a while ago, and I'm, ah...." He found he had wandered back into Jesse's room and was staring down at him, searching for the right words. "I s'pose I'm this church's new caretaker."

Another pause. "Caretaker, huh?" The woman was skeptical, Cassidy could hardly blame her. "You gonna fix the air conditioner?" 

Cassidy flashed back to Jesse in the jail cell, complaining about the blasted machine, and he perked up. "Aye ma'm, I plan on gettin' right to that today. That's why I need someone to look after the Reverend here. He's alright, just a bit under the weather, and I want to make sure there's someone here when he wakes up, ye know?" 

The woman let out a long sigh and then said, "Alright, I'll be over in an hour. Better not be the damn booze again. Just stay put." She hung up before Cassidy could even mutter a "thanks". All that was left to do was wait, then. Cassidy sat next to Jesse on the bed and watched him sleep some more. He no longer looked distressed, and his breathing was a bit more even. The ice pack seemed to be doing it's job, at least. 

Cassidy hadn't realized an hour had passed until he noticed headlights coming up the driveway. As he rose to get the door, he allowed himself one last glance back at Jesse. 

"Sleep well, Padre," he said, before turning away and facing whatever this Emily woman had in store for him. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emily had been far from what Cassidy expected. She was awful tiny for someone who handled the affairs of a rowdy Texas town, but Cassidy knew he shouldn't be surprised. Tonight had been full on unexpectancies, after all. 

She had looked him up and down when he answered the door, taking in his punk-rocker clothes with an air of disdain. He supposed they got a lot more country-music types around here than anyone that had any actual taste. She had dismissed him quickly, going about tending to Jesse and practically shoving Cassidy out the back area, telling him to get some rest before fixing the damn air conditioner. 

Cassidy knew he should consider himself lucky. Emily hadn't asked about the mess in the front of the church, probably just blaming that on the booze, too. She hadn't given Cassidy near as much grief as he thought she would, most likely just being happy that someone was finally going to get something done around there.

Or so she thought. Cassidy wasn't nearly as worried about the air conditioner or church pews as he was about getting some fucking sleep. He was able to find an old mattress in the attic, and some blankets and pillows from the church donation bin. Rest was definitely what he needed, having been up most of the previous day. The fact that he hadn't had a decent feeding in quite a while didn't help, either. But he would worry about that later. Laying back on the makeshift bed, Cassidy lit a cigarette and watched the sun come up through one of the small attic windows. Despite his condition, that was one of his small pleasures. It was one of the few things he had refused to give up after the change. 

All in all, despite the absolute shit of the previous day, Cassidy figured maybe had wasn't so unlucky after all. He had a new place to live (it wasn't the Ritz Carlton, but he had stayed in far worse places), he had a new job, and most of all, and he had someone like Jesse Custer in his life. Things were starting to look up indeed. 

With the sun now having made it's full ascent, Cassidy tapped out his cigarette and drew the curtains on the windows closed, being careful to avoid the hazardous sunbeams as he did so. Pulling the mattress into the darkest corner of the attic, he covered himself with a blanket and sunk down into the pillows, waiting for sleep to take him. 

He thought about Jesse then, about him asleep in his own bed and his nightmares. Cassidy had his own nightmares sometimes (or was it day-mares, in this case?). Sometimes, he dreamt of the vampire hunters finding him, finally getting the better of him. They would drive a stake through his heart or toss him into the sunlight, every inch of his exposed skin screaming with the agony of a thousand blisters. Other times, he would dream of fangs biting into the tender flesh of his own neck, the pain causing his whole body to wretch and hot tears to stream from his eyes. 

But not today. 

Today, he dreamt of his hand on Jesse Custer's face.

**Author's Note:**

> Like the tag says, this is my first fanfic ever, so I hope I didn't screw up too badly. I just always wondered what happened while Jesse was passed out in the 1st episode. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and comments are always welcome! ^_^


End file.
